About this Booklet

This career booklet was inspired by the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) Committee for Career Development, Women and Minorities, and the Long Range Planning Committee to provide a guide for PhD candidates in the life sciences considering a career in experimental pathology. The purpose is to present opportunities in experimental pathology for PhDs that exist in many sectors including academia, molecular diagnostics labs, public and private laboratories, industry, and consulting for-profit and non-profit institutions. This booklet should be helpful to biomedical scientists to understand how to train and then develop their early career to carry out either basic, translational, and/or clinical investigations in academic Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine or in numerous non-academic environments.

ASIP is a professional society of biomedical scientists who investigate mechanisms of disease. ASIP thus fosters the professional career development and education of those interested in the study of mechanisms of human disease, and is committed to advocate for high quality training of biomedical scientists in departments of pathology and for well supported career paths for junior academic faculty and/or for those selecting traditional and non-traditional non-academic careers.

We thank our family, friends, mentors and colleagues for generously giving their time, guidance, patience and support for our own career development as biomedical scientists. The assistance and contributions of the ASIP staff and members of the ASIP Committee for Career Development, Women and Minorities are also greatly appreciated. ASIP acknowledges the Intersociety Council for Pathology Information (ICPI), which provided partial support for production of this brochure.

We appreciate discussions with many trainees and colleagues on the subject of career paths for PhDs in pathology and laboratory medicine. We thank Audra E. Cox, Scientific Editor, The American Journal of Pathology, The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics; Sunny Kumar, Investment Manager, Investment Accelerator Fund, Ontario Centres of Excellence; and Jennifer A. Hobin, Science Policy Analyst, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

We appreciate the assistance of Sursattie Sue Sarju, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto.